BLM Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Liquids Gathering System in eastern Utah

Vernal, Utah - The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Vernal Field Office is now seeking public comment on an environmental assessment (EA) analyzing the potential impacts of a liquids gathering system.

Under the proposal, EOG would build new buried pipelines to transport water, combined gas, water, and oil; and compressed gas between approximately 2,100 existing, approved, or proposed wells and 14 proposed processing facilities. The majority of the buried pipelines would be installed adjacent to existing roads. The proposed project aims to reduce air pollutant emissions from existing and future operations by removing storage tanks from well sites; substantially reducing truck traffic required to transport liquids; and concentrating liquids processing at centralized facilities equipped with advanced emissions controls. The project area is located in the Natural Buttes gas field south of Vernal.

Additional information about the proposed project is included in the EA, which is now available for public review and comment. An electronic copy of the EA can be found on the BLM Vernal Field Office website at:http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/vernal/planning/nepa_.html. A hard copy can be obtained in person at the Vernal Field Office, 170 South 500 East, Vernal, Utah or requested by calling (435) 781-4400.

The public review and comment period for this EA is open until March 29, 2013. Please note that the most useful comments are those that identify issues relevant to the proposed action or contain new technical or scientific information. Comments which contain only opinions or preferences will not receive a formal response, but may be considered in the BLM decision-making process.

Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment – including your personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. BLM will not consider anonymous comments. All submissions from organizations and businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be available for public inspection in their entirety.

For further information concerning the document, please contact Stephanie Howard at (435)781-4469. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the above individual during normal business hours. The FIRS is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to leave a message or question with the above individual. You will receive a reply during normal business hours.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2013, the BLM generated $4.7 billion in receipts from public lands.